Page 124 of Second Chance for Mr. Alden

“And it can’t be for an undetermined amount of time.” I’d negotiate as much as I could, but in the end he and I both knew I’d cave.

“Two years, and I will only use your services until it reaches the three hundred thousand, plus interest,” he offered.

It was far more exact than I was expecting. Even though I wasn’t crazy about the plus interest part. “Do you have something in mind already?”

“Not necessarily, but things often come up. I own quite a few businesses here in the states and overseas.” He shrugged. “Do we have an agreement?”

“Yes,” I answered, my throat thick. I didn’t know what I’d gotten myself into, but for Jess I’d go to hell and back. It was an easy decision to make.

“Excellent. I’ll have my assistant draw up the paperwork for you to sign tonight before you leave.”

It amazed me what money could do for you. In the real world most people would have to wait for the next business day. Jareth placed a call to his assistant and hung up a few minutes later to let me know the paperwork would be done soon.

We made our way back to the living room. I stood in the doorway watching Jess. Her brow furrowed deeper as she went through each piece of paper one-by-one. As though she felt my stare she looked up and gave me a tired smile.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey yourself.” She patted the couch cushion next to her. “Want to help?”

“Absolutely.” I moved to her side and grabbed a handful of papers.

“Don’t be an unhelpful dick, Jareth. Grab a seat and help us out.” Jess gestured to the covered table in front of us.

He grinned and unbuttoned the cuffs of his button-down shirt as he sat down across from us. “I’d never want it to be said that I was an unhelpful dick.”

Jess snorted.

I held back a laugh. It appeared Jareth had a sense of humor.

A half hour later Jess was getting frustrated. “I don’t see why any of these things are important.”

“We only have a few more pages to go.” I gestured to the smaller pile to our left.

Jess leaned against my arm. “Yeah, I guess in my mind the first piece of paper I picked up was going to be the smoking gun. You know?”

“If it’s not here, we’ll find it another way. Gage has been searching the past few days, I know he’ll find it. This proof we’re looking for would just give him a head start.”

“Right.” Jess sighed.

I rubbed her arm, snuggling her close.

Jess’s phone buzzed with a text. “At least Lynnie and Al were able to get away for a bit. I feel better knowing they’re safely away from here. Even if we don’t find something, shit is going to hit the fan at the meeting tomorrow.” She twirled a finger. “Happy birthday to me.”

I kissed the top of her head. Birthdays were always a big deal to Jess whether they were hers or someone else’s. “We’ll get a chance to celebrate and find a way to put this all behind us.”

Those shares would be a great first step at turning the day around for Jess.

Jareth’s front door opened and a light, feminine voice called out, “Jareth? I’m here with the paperwork you requested.”

“We’re in here,” he called out.

A curvy woman with bright blond hair and green eyes entered, stopping short when she noticed us. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you had guests.”

“Hazel, please meet my associates, James Alden and Jessamine Sulton.”

I noticed Hazel’s eyes flicked toward me with interest. No doubt she recognized my name on the document she brought over.

Jess squeezed herself tighter to me, clearly misunderstanding the interest as something else.

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